Sony TV embarks on extensive digital play for 'Indian Idol Junior'

Sony Entertainment Television is all set to introduce a new show, ‘Indian Idol Junior’, in the 8.30 PM prime time slot. The reality based show will be telecast from June 1, 2013 and will be aired on weekends. The show comes on the back of the recent launch, ‘Bharat ke veer putra - Maharana Pratap’, which airs in the 10 PM time slot.

‘Indian Idol Junior’ will be competing with ‘India's Dancing Superstar’ on Star Plus, the soon-to-be-launched ‘DID Super Moms’ on Zee TV and ‘Jhalak Dikkhla Ja’ Season 6 on Colors. Given the key significance of the 9 PM prime time slot, players in the broadcast space are regularly churning out new shows in different formats so as to maintain their loyal audience base.

Commenting on the positioning of the show, Gaurav Seth, Senior Vice President & Head- Marketing, Sony Entertainment Television said, “The show is one of our biggest properties in the non-ficition and talent hunt space. We went junior this year because we realised that the children’s space has a lot of talent that we have not explored in the past.”

The channel will be launching an extensive 360-degree marketing campaign to create awareness for the show, which will include various innovative activities on both traditional and digital media.

As part of the marketing campaign, the channel has allocated 25 per cent of its marketing spends each on TV and print. The remaining 50 per cent will be split up between radio, outdoor, digital, on-ground and so on.

“As far as marketing is concerned, we broke the promos first in the middle of April during IPL 6. Beyond that, we have used all media such as print, radio, OOH, digital, mobile, etc.; the idea is to inform everyone that the show is coming back,” added Seth. The channel will also launch a high impact print campaign on the day of the launch.

As part of the promotional activities on television, Sony Entertainment Television has launched promos across different channels as well as its network channels. The channel will also be undertaking society activations across different cities.

Seth further said, “LC1 will primarily be covered through television and print. The top 20 cities across India will see the different forms of media. For the first time, we are integrating rapid response on television similar to the one observed during IPL. Once we move into the top ten phase, we are going to look at building profiles and fan bases for them individually.”

Extensive Digital Play
As part of the digital marketing strategy, the channel is back with the portal MyIndianIdol, which will offer users a chance to connect with the show, with its engaging features, exclusive content and applications.

This year, MSM has also unveiled the Indian Idol Junior Application, which is available for download on iTunes and the Google Play Store. The application has enabled users to register for the show using the Web Auditions feature and will offer content, games as well as engaging applications to viewers on the go. The portal, MyIndianIdol, along with the Indian Idol Junior App, will enable online and social voting, adding a new dimension to the show.

Apart from the Popularity Meter, the website and the Indian Idol Junior App, several new and engaging applications are being planned to enable users to relive and enjoy a customised Indian Idol experience, such as Bachpan Ki Awaaz, which allows users to sing or speak into the app and relive their voice as a kid. The channel has also launched Falling Notes, a game where users need to catch the falling musical notes with a tap or click of the mouse; and Picture Puzzle, a jigsaw puzzle with an ‘Indian Idol’ twist. One can also create their own Indian Idol Avatar, using combinations of personal styles of the Indian Idol contestants.